EPA Settlement Protects Anacostia from Oil & Gas Pollution

The EPA recently announced a settlement with Greenlight WVO, LLC, that the agency believes will improve oil spill prevention and protect the Anacostia River.
We are very pleased to see that EPA is working in yet another way to protect the Anacostia River and the health of communities that depend on it.

According to the agency, Greenlight “has come into compliance with oil spill prevention requirements to resolve EPA claims that the company was not prepared to prevent or contain an oil spill… In addition, Greenlight, a used cooking oil recycling company, has agreed to pay a penalty of $40,000.”

The action was taken in response to a failed inspection of oil storage tanks located within close proximity to Indian Creek, a tributary of the Anacostia River.

Proactive enforcement such as this is an important step in safeguarding vital natural resources such as these, and The Anacostia Waterfront Trust applauds both the EPA and Greenlight for taking action before a serious incident occurred.

For a variety of reasons, toxins from oil and gas is continue to poison ecosystems throughout the watershed and this settlement does not close the book on the issue. Thousands of gallons of polluted water stream off our roads with each rain and legacy toxins from past industrial use make the river a hazard for human health.

Federal, State, and Local officials must remain vigilant to these threats by implementing previous commitments to improve water quality, remediate dangerous toxins, and restore vital ecosystems.